Renewed Love
by Inabikairi ga osotta
Summary: Having been married for three months, Sasuke and Sakura are finding how difficult marital life can be when you're polar opposites. Can they take the heat, or will they end in a divorce?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters

Renewed Love's first chapter! I hope it came out all right. To be completely honest, this chapter is pretty depressing—especially for a first chapter, but I hope you like it anyways. The M rating is of course for future lemons, as usual. Enjoy chapter 1 :]

* * *

It seemed like an eternity since those wedding bells could be heard, singing and promising happiness, love, and everything that would hearts flutter. You would think that after three months of marriage, things would be going better—that the couple would know each other well enough to not argue. You would think that after three months, the differences would have been worked out and there would be smiles instead of grimaces being tossed from him to her and the other way around.

There was not happiness. No one's heart was fluttering. Maybe there was love, but who knew? It certainly wasn't showing. All that was showing was the ever present tension: the tension that said "This isn't going to work." Maybe it wasn't that it _has _been three months; maybe it was that is has _only _been three months. Either way, it was torturous. No one was happy, and everyone knew that.

Sakura stared at the ceiling, her arms crossed over her chest as she lay on the bed. Her pink hair was tousled about the pillow and her cheeks were flushed red in anger. It had happened again: they argued. And it wasn't her fault either—that's what she had always told herself. Why did she have to fall in love with such a self-centered, impassive, cold, and unromantic man? Every single characteristic was flawed. What on earth did she see in him? _I don't even know anymore… _she breathed out harshly, raising her eyebrows in a show of annoyance.

He was right beside her, expressing similar actions. His hands were resting behind his head, but his onyx orbs were focused on the ceiling and on the ceiling alone. His lips were curved down into a frown full of aggravated anger. Sasuke's jaw clenched as he blew out air from his nostrils. She did it every single time. It was like they couldn't have a normal conversation. "Sasuke do this", "Sasuke, why can't you be more like this", this and that and then some. She was ungrateful, unsatisfied, and bossy. She was obviously unaware of what it meant to _not _get her way, and she obviously thought that he wasn't good enough for her—so there she goes trying to change him.

The pinkette tapped her index finger on her arm, impatiently waiting for the stoic to break the silence. She knew she was just proving a point to herself: he didn't care enough to start an apology—it always had to be her, but she was sick of that. After three months of marriage, Sasuke should understand he needs to step up and give a little too. She couldn't just bail him out every time because "he didn't feel like it". So there she sat, waiting.

The tapping was beginning to get annoying. Sasuke didn't want to hear it anymore, but he wouldn't move. No, there was no way. _He _talked last, and now it was _Sakura's _turn. He made a point to answer every last one of her questions, and he was sick of how she used dead silence to her advantage to get her way and make him talk first. In fact, he wouldn't even grace her with a glance from him. All she ever did was try to get him to comply to her every want, and that wasn't happening this time.

* * *

_Thirty Minutes Earlier_

_Sasuke returned home from hanging out with Naruto—he seemed to be doing that often. He had been out for hours and he was late; he didn't even bother to call home and tell Sakura that he wasn't going to be home when he had originally planned to: which got Sakura wondering. Where was he?_

_She was sitting at the desk in their bedroom, pretending to be occupied by reading a book. It was a test: would he come in the room to put his things away without saying a word to her, or would he actually apologize for being late and not telling her? Would he even bother to explain himself? That's what Sakura wanted to know. When she heard him enter the house, she acted as if she was engrossed in her book. He would have to break her concentration._

_The man entered the room, his face completely impassive. His eyes barely veered over to Sakura when he came into the room, and she noticed. Continuing to ignore him, she turned the page of her book, leaning her face into her palm regally. Just as Sasuke was about to leave the room without a word, Sakura snapped a sentence out of her lips: "Do I get a 'hello'?"_

_"Hn," he grunted in annoyance, once again making his attempt to leave. Sakura wouldn't have it._

_"That's not a 'hello'. Where were you? Why are you late? Is Naruto here with you?" She sent him a flurry of questions, turning to face him. He failed her test with flying colors. Sasuke groaned, rolling his eyes and running his fingers through his hair._

_"I was at a place that's none of your business and I'm late because I am, and whether or not Naruto's here doesn't matter," he said simply, obviously wanting to end the conversation, or rather, the interrogation. Sakura gawked, but snapped her mouth shut soon after. If she was going to talk to Sasuke, she would have to try to keep a cool head._

_"That's not an answer to my questions."_

_"Hn."_

_"Can you please speak English?! You didn't learn the language for no reason you know! Or are we going back to caveman times?!" Sakura stood up from sitting down, looking up at him furiously, her emerald orbs dancing with flames of anger. That was it. He wasn't cooperating—he wasn't even trying to. Did he even care about her? __Of course he doesn't!__ She told herself inwardly. He gave her no answer; Sasuke just simply stared down at her, his face unchanging. "Answer me!"_

_"Don't boss me around," he snapped, his lip curling. Sakura flinched at his action, but it didn't take long for her to counter him._

_"Then stop being such an idiot about everything!"_

_"Are we going to start insulting now? Because that's when I know this is going nowhere," he commented, the calmness in his voice causing Sakura's blood to boil._

_"Stop talking to me like I'm a child!"_

_"Then stop acting like one!" He finally raised his voice, no longer being able to contain his anger. Sakura knew how to push all of his buttons, and she seemed to like to do it often. Onyx and emerald clashed in a stare that was not veering. Sasuke clenched his jaw; he would __not__ be the first one to look away, and quite frankly, he didn't want Sakura to look away either. Let them stay like this: staring into each other's eyes in anger. _

_He continued to wait for her counter—to wait for her to say something, but she said nothing. This got on his nerves the most, but he was not going to say a word. Not one single—"Why can't you be more like Naruto? He actually cares about Hinata…" she mumbled, an obvious bitterness underlining her tone. Sasuke's eyes widened in infuriation._

_"What. Did. You. Say," it was barely a question. Anger was seething through in his voice, and his eyes flashed a dangerous crimson from his Sharingan. His fist was clenched at his side. Oh, how he wanted to punch the wall—better yet beat the wall. How dare she compare him to another man! Did she even know what that meant? Sakura looked away from him and made her way to the bed, laying down on the white sheets and slumping her head onto the soft pillow, which didn't feel very comfortable at the moment._

_Sasuke watched her. Did she honestly just walk away? He asked her a question. She had to answer. That's how it works. And she should especially answer a question like that. What kind of question was that? You don't go around comparing your husband to someone else. Why not marry Naruto then? Sasuke drove the thought out of his mind and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He swallowed hard, giving the desk a quick slam of a punch before slumping onto the bed next to Sakura. The closer he was the more likely she was to answer, so if he had to endure that then so be it._

The Present

Sasuke had begun to tap with his index finger himself. This was getting annoying. He was tempted to look over at her and order her to speak, but no. That wasn't going to happen again. Sakura was a talker; she wasn't supposed to stay silent. But to get under his skin, it felt like she would do just about anything sometimes. He continued to sit there, in silence, a cold expression overcoming his pale features.

Sakura didn't like this. Yes, she was upset, but having this tension with Sasuke stabbed her heart. She didn't want to be at odds with him, but she also wanted him to understand where she was coming from. Naruto _did _treat Hinata like a total queen—they loved each other from day _one _of their marriage, and no one ever saw them arguing! So why is it that she and Sasuke had to argue about literally _everything_?

They argued about who woke up first. "Stop moving around so much when you get out of bed," he would mumble grumpily in the mornings. She didn't have time to argue with him: she had to get to the hospital for work. Sakura would just roll her eyes and keep going. They argued about who went to sleep first. "Why are you always so tired the _one _time I can actually spare time for you?" He would say when she told him she was going to turn in for the night. Time he could spare, he says. He was supposed to _make _time for her. She was his wife.

They argued about who would get in the shower first. "I've been doing missions all day whereas you were washing your hands at the hospital. I'm getting in first," he would snap when she would try to get in before him. It was always about him, wasn't it? It wasn't ever an "Oh, are you exhausted, baby?" No, it was me, me, me with Sasuke Uchiha. It was always him, him, him. That certainly hadn't changed.

They argued about sex. Those were some of the worst. That was one major way to really kill the mood, but he always wanted to make thing weird. He always wanted to try a new position, or kiss somewhere other than her lips. He always wanted to touch her in the most obscene ways. I mean, who actually _likes _getting their breasts groped? Certainly not Sakura, and Sasuke had a knack for doing things she didn't like.

And what was so sexy about necks? Why did he always constantly try to kiss and suck on her neck?—the sucking was the worst. It just kills the mood almost immediately. Sakura didn't want her rear to grabbed or groped, she didn't want her breasts to be fondled or simply touched, and sucking _anything_ was absolutely off limits. Why couldn't they just have sex for what it was for: children? There was absolutely no need to "mess around" as he called it. It was just disgusting.

Sasuke knew they were polar opposites when it came to just about everything. Sakura was an early riser, and he was a late sleeper. He was a night person, she was a morning person—and all they did was argue in the afternoon. She liked clean sex—if you could even call _that _sex—and he liked dirty sex—real sex. A love making that was substantial, passionate, and exciting. Something that he would remember and want to repeat, not something that felt monotonous and forced as she insisted on having it.

He expressed himself in the physical. Sure, his words were lacking in the romantic area, but he could make up with that with kisses and touches—something that he's actually good at. But Sakura wouldn't allow it. She would continue to limit him at what he can and cannot do with her body. Sakura's his wife for Kami's sake! She should want him to touch her and kiss her and hold her! That's what she acted like she wanted, anyways, but every time he would try, Sasuke was pushed away. He had gone too far, touched something wrong, or had become "obscene".

Silence continued to hang in the air over the two. Sasuke took a deep breath. "Listen," they both said and looked over at each other in unison. Sasuke bit his bottom lip, and Sakura's eyes veered away slightly. "You go first," Sakura said slowly.

"No, you," Sasuke responded, looking away from her again. Sakura made a firm line with her lips.

"It's fine, _Sasuke_, you can go first."

"I said for you to go first," he persisted. It was her turn to talk anyways. If only he hadn't given up.

"Why does it always have to be _me _that goes first?" She snapped, glaring at him. Sasuke didn't look her way, nor did he answer her, causing her blood to boil. "Everything's always about you—"

"So now we're going to argue about who _talks _first, is that it?" He snapped back, glaring at her straight in her eyes.

"Well I guess so!" She couldn't help the sarcastic laugh that was plaguing her voice. Sasuke turned his jaw, not liking her tone one bit.

"Don't talk to me like that," he ordered.

"You deserve it," she countered, slipping off the bed and grabbing her keys. Sasuke just watched her with a careful eye.

"Where do you think you're going?" He questioned, sitting up straight. Sakura only glared back at him, her lips in a tight frown.

"None-of-your-business," she spat. "Do I have to spell it out for you?" She finished as she strode out the room, not giving him a chance to answer.

* * *

Tears ran down Sakura's eyes as she sat on a bench, far enough from her house that Sasuke wouldn't find her, but close enough that she could walk back. She was secluded from the others in Konoha, surrounded only by nature. She didn't want to be around anything else right now. She didn't even want to be next to an apologizing Sasuke. _Why does it always have to be like this? Why do we always have to argue? _She asked herself, her tears painting her cheeks with wet stains.

It felt as if he would never understand: that he would never care to understand. He was just a cold, impassive, self-centered Uchiha, wasn't he? Then why had he married her? Why had he proposed? Why were they so happy when they were dating and now suddenly everything's terrible? It was almost as if fate had it that she would never be happy in this marriage. She knew Sasuke wasn't happy either, but that didn't do anything to change the way he acted.

A breeze brushed by her, shifting her pink tresses from side to side. Sakura listened as the leaves of trees rustled in tranquility. Nature was never disturbed. There was a certain calm about it that never wavered. _Like Sasuke… _she couldn't keep the thought from passing her mind. She was trying to take her mind off her husband right now and think of something more joyful, but he always managed to creep his way into her thoughts. She doubted she had that same effect on him.

By now, Sasuke had probably already left the house to go see Naruto—not to look for her. He would never do that. He was Uchiha Sasuke: people looked for him, or they came to him. He never would go out of his way to find other people. That's just not how his world worked. There was only one time in the whole world when he went out to find her: and that was when he proposed. _I could call him sweet then… _Sakura mused, the tears tugging out of her eyes again as she whimpered softly.

She couldn't help but bring herself back to the times when her and Sasuke could laugh with each other—smile at each other… it felt like an eternity ago. Whenever they saw each other now, there was the ever present tension, the pent up anger, and the unsolved arguments. They still had their moments when they would smile for a bit, or laugh and joke around with each other, but those times were so few and far between that they also were a distant memory.

* * *

Sasuke sat in the bed, his fingers enmeshing his charcoal mop of hair, practically pulling as he mumbled incoherent insults at himself. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks. "Baka… you baka…" he mumbled to himself, cursing and grunting as he spoke. He got up from where he sat and paced back and forth in the room, slamming his fist on the wall continually. He knew Sakura had left the house, so he was free to scream: "You're a freakin' idiot, you baka! Where is she now?!" He kicked the base of the bed.

Nothing ever worked out. The arguments were never solved just because he managed to say something stupid. Just because, from what she said, he wasn't as good as Naruto. _She's comparing me… to him? _Sasuke frowned, pinching his lips together as he looked up to the ceiling. Yeah, he was stubborn: he knew that. Sasuke wasn't ignorant of his actions. Sakura was stubborn too. They both had their quirks, but these quirks weren't supposed to get them into arguments that literally dragged on for days. When would it end?

She was constantly calling him selfish: self-centered, impassive, cold… the list could go on. He knew it was true. He had closed her off a considerable amount, but that was because he no longer felt comfortable with their relationship. When he and Sakura were dating, they didn't keep secrets from each other—they didn't _compare _each other to their opposite gender friends. When they were engaged, they were literally inseparable. But now when they were married, you couldn't keep them together in the same room. What went wrong? What happened?

Sasuke trudged over to the desk, slumping down onto the chair and reading the page Sakura was on in her book. He scoffed at the contents. _Of course it's a romance novel… _he mused. _What, is she comparing me to him too? _His mind fumed angrily as he slammed the book shut. He needed fresh air; he needed to go on a walk. After a sharp breath, the raven grabbed his own set of keys and made his way outside.

The weather was refreshing. It was spring, after all. A cool breeze washed by the stoic, brushing his charcoal bangs out of his face temporarily. It was wonderful: just him and nature. Sasuke leaned his head back and basked in the glorious feel of freedom, and perhaps even a bit of temporal peace as his worries washed away from him with the breeze. He and Sakura would calm down, she would come home, and maybe things would be settled by the time they went to sleep. _Hopefully… _Sasuke mused, a frown curving his lips downward.

While Sasuke was walking his cell phone rang in his pocket. He honestly didn't want to pick it up, but now that his thoughts were veering towards depression, he figured it would be best to get his mind off of everything. "Uchiha Sasuke," he said as he answered.

"Hey! It's Naruto! What're you up to?"

"Dobe, we just hung out an hour ago, what do you want?" Sasuke snapped, not in the mood to deal with Naruto's cheery behavior. He heard the blond Uzumaki whine on the other line before responding.

"An hour's too long! Now tell me what you're doing!" Sasuke rolled his eyes, and after a quick sigh he answered.

"I'm out on a walk."

"I thought you went home?" Sasuke took a bit to answer, pinching his lips together. He had told Naruto he had went home to Sakura, and that was true, but what Naruto _didn't _know is that the two had been nonstop arguing for about three months straight.

"I… did," he responded hesitantly, hoping Naruto wouldn't ask for details. He did:

"Aaaand?" The Uzumaki dragged out impatiently. "Tell me, Sasuke!"

"Sakura and I got into an argument," he said simply, not wanting to expand any further than that, until Naruto started acting as if he understood:

"Oh, that's normal! Trust me, me and Hinata even still argue sometimes, married or not—"

"We've been arguing for three months now. Straight," Sasuke cut him off before he could continue. This wasn't a conversation he wanted to have with the Dobe—then again, it wasn't a conversation he wanted to have with anyone.

"THREE MONTHS?!" Naruto screamed on the other line so loud that Sasuke had to pull the phone away from his ear. "That's as long as you two have been married! What's going on?! Why didn't you tell me?!" The Uzumaki was freaking out, while Sasuke just listened to him placidly, not knowing how to respond. Why should he have told Naruto? Talking about it won't do anything. Things like this took action—action got them into arguments, hence the three months problem. "Well, where is she now?"

"I'd like to know that myself," Sasuke mumbled, taking a quick glance at his watch to keep himself occupied. Just as he looked up, he saw the pinkette walking towards where he had come from: home. "I got to go, Dobe, I see her."

"Wait, I'm not done—" Sasuke hung up the phone and walked up to Sakura, who had her head hung sadly in depression. She looked up only to catch the onyx gleam of her husband's eyes. He was looking down at her. Did he come for her? Was he looking for her?

"Sakura…" he mumbled simply, clenching his jaw. He looked torn, confused, hurt, upset—everything was mixed up. She was sure her face was portraying similar emotions. Her eyes veered away from his; she didn't want him to see how hard she had been crying only moments earlier while his eyes looked completely fine—as if nothing had happened at all. She felt his hand on her face, gently stroking her cheek with a touch he rarely ever used—a touch she hadn't felt in a while.

Sasuke didn't want to swallow his pride, but he also didn't want her to stay looking as she did. It had been enough for one day. He knew everything would come back to bite them the next morning, but right now, it would be better to push it aside. It was late. "Let's head home… all right?" He urged her, his voice calm with a tinge of kindness plaguing it.

The pinkette knew what her husband was doing, but she was ready to let it go if only for today too. They would solve it tomorrow—or at least, they would try. It would be another argument—maybe more ignoring, more going out with their friends to forget about everything, but right now, it was enough. "Okay…" she mumbled, letting her tears fall once again as she rested her forehead on his chest.

OooO

**Arguments, pushing aside apologies, being mad at each other… all new to me lol if you've read my other fanfictions you've probably noticed that Sasuke and Sakura never really end up getting into major arguments. Their problems usually came from other people (like in Professor Uchiha: My Tutor). To be honest, this is somewhat evilly fun to do because now I can put my snarky tongue to use xD Anyways, I hope that the depression in this chapter didn't ruin anyone's day or anything. Don't forget to R&R! Arigatogozaimasu for all your support.**

**InaGaTa**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters

This is a long chapter, but I had to finish their... argument... sooo, i went over my word limit. :] Anyways, thank you all for the reviews, they made me smile and grin and whatnot. And even though that chapter was depressing (and, probably many more to follow will be depressing) I'm glad you all are enjoying it! Enjoy

* * *

The morning came slowly, Sakura's eyes opening slowly as the sun shone down on them. She looked over to her husband, sleeping peacefully, his eyes closed in curved slits. _I wish he could always look this peaceful… _she mused, passing her hand across his face gently—something she would never do if he was awake. Sakura hadn't the nerve. She sighed when she heard her husband breathe out an annoyed groan as he grumpily woke up. "What," he spat, clearly not interested in waking up.

"Nothing…" Sakura mumbled, slipping out of bed halfheartedly. Sasuke only grunted turning away once again to try to return to his slumber, which tended to be harder after being _disturbed _by a certain someone. _I can't wait until they start calling him in for morning missions… _Sakura ground her teeth, thoroughly set in a bad mood already by her husband's selfish behavior. It was happening again—just like she thought.

As she began to dress, Sakura tried to drive the thoughts out of her mind, but only found that she was constantly feeding them. _It always has to be him that's going to be in a good mood if anything gets done! Yup, always Sasuke Uchiha, king of the freakin' world! _She couldn't help the sarcastic, enraged smile from spreading on her lips as she began to dress to head for the hospital. It wasn't fair. Sasuke always had his way—he always got _his _way.

Even last night, when they "pushed aside" their differences so that they could sleep peacefully, it was _his _way. He never had to apologize for anything—and he _was _the one that needed to apologize. She hadn't done anything. It was _him _who didn't tell her that he was going to be late. It was _him _who didn't think it was necessary to say hello to his wife when he came home. _Maybe everything is about you, Sasuke. _She looked over at her husband as if he could hear her mental rant. _Just not in the way you wish it was. _She completed her musings as she strode out the door, making her way to the hospital already in a sour mood.

* * *

Both the doctors and the nurses cleared out of Mrs. Uchiha's way at the hospital. Everyone could tell when she was having a bad day, and today was one of those days. Her peers missed the smile that used to come on her face whenever she came into the office, or when someone would simply ask "How's Sasuke?" Now, if they ever asked that, all they got was a sour frown and a nasty retort. People assumed it was small bickering from the early morning that would set them off, but then the couple would be happy in the evening again. They were all, of course, ignorant to the true facts.

Sakura swallowed hard, tapping her manicured nails on a desk. She was at work. It was time to think about work _things_, not about her husband, but he wouldn't leave her mind. She thought back to how he had touched her face the previous day—that gently, soft caress that she hadn't felt since they had been dating. Sakura brought her hand up to her pale cheek, finding herself repeating his action before she could stop herself. "Ugh!" She threw her hands up in the air.

"Something wrong?" Hinata, the former Hyuga, knocked on the office door with an elegant smile adorning her face. After her marriage to her beloved Naruto, Hinata began to work for the hospital to aid operation sequences with her Byakugan. Sakura looked over to her best friend, a legitimate smile spreading on her lips. There was finally someone who could help her think about something other than Sasuke.

"Hi, Hinata," Sakura gave her a short hug in greeting. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," the pinkette lied, simply trying to get off the subject. Sasuke was the absolute last thing she wanted to talk about. All she would do is involve Hinata in things that she probably didn't want to think about. The new Uzumaki was having a dream life with Naruto, and Sakura didn't want to ruin that with her own marital problems. Hinata frowned at the pinkette.

"Sakura, I know you're not fine…" she frowned as she spoke warily. Sometimes Sakura wondered if the Byakugan allowed the Hyuga to see into the mind as well as everywhere around them. "Naruto and I were talking yesterday—um, about you and Sasuke…?" Her voice trailed off. Sakura eyed Hinata carefully. Did she know? Was it really that obvious that they had been arguing for awhile? "Naruto said Sasuke told him that you two were arguing—"

"Sasuke said _what_?" Sakura clenched her teeth. That was _not _something he should just go around telling everyone! Who did that man think he was? Oh, was he ever in for a surprise on _her _lunch break. She was going to call him, and that was that. He was not going to go around telling all his guy friends that he and Sakura were arguing—that was just immature and bratty and out of line.

"S—Sakura, calm down," Hinata urged her in a gentle voice. "I want to talk to you about it… because, despite all appearances, Naruto and I are having our own fair share of marital problems…" her voice trailed off when Sakura's entire demeanor changed. Tears streamed down the pinkette's cheeks—hot tears, both angry and saddened.

"Hinata, you don't _know _what he treats me like," her voice shook. "It's torture—he's _nothing _like he was when we were dating—I just should've listened to Ino… I just should've…" her voice was cut off by sobs as she cried into her hands. Hinata placed her arm around Sakura's shoulder, frowning pitifully at the mourning newlywed. Her sentences were becoming more and more incoherent, but Hinata stuck to what she could understand.

"Sakura, no… don't say that you should've listened to Ino—not ever," Hinata warned her. "You know you love Sasuke… you both just need to work through this…" Sakura pulled away from Hinata and headed for the door, looking back only to say:

"Hinata, I'm sorry, but… you just can't understand."

* * *

His cell phone rang in his ears with what should have been his alarm, but it was a phone call from that Dobe. It was early—too early for him, anyways. And as far as he knew, it wasn't time for any missions. So picking up the phone was out of the question. Sasuke threw his pillow over his ears and attempted to muffle out the ringing, but it just seemed to get louder and louder. "Shut up…" he mumbled an order to the inanimate object, knowing it wouldn't listen. The last ring went off, and Sasuke sighed in peace, slowly drifting back off to sleep.

_Ring, ring, ring!_

The phone was ringing again?! _It's just like that Dobe to spam call! _Sasuke fumed in his mind, snatching his cell phone off his night desk and picking it up. "The heck do you want? It's early," he spoke curtly on the phone, trying to get as far away as possible from idle conversation.

"Sasuke, wake up, this is important," Naruto said seriously from the other line, but it was hard to take the blonde seriously with that scratchy voice of his. The raven sat up slowly, propping himself with his free hand.

"I'm up; what?"

"I want to finish talking to you about your arguments—" Sasuke hung up the phone, turning it on silent.

"Not interested," he retorted, acting as if Naruto could hear his snide remark. _I knew I should've let him believe whatever he wanted to… _Sasuke mentally rebuked himself for telling the Dobe anything at all. _It's not as if he could actually understand what's going on anyways. 'He treats Hinata like a queen'. _He spat in his mind, recalling the words that Sakura had said when comparing him to that blonde idiot.

Sasuke sighed. Sure, Naruto _was _an idiot, but at least he was happy. _Maybe Sakura's right. _He quickly shook the thought out of his mind. What was there for her to be right about? That Naruto was better than him? _Gee, thanks, go get the guy into polygamy then, I don't give a freakin' crap! _Sasuke slammed his head back down onto his pillow, but he wasn't tired anymore. He was about as far from tired as you could get.

Maybe he wasn't entirely miserable. Maybe—_maybe _Sakura was right that he should give a little, but what was there to give? The only thing she was giving was orders; did she want him to do that too? Sasuke looked back to his phone and held it in his hand, staring at the blank screen. _Maybe I should call her… _He quickly drove the thoughts out of his mind. That's not something he wanted to talk over the phone; it should be in person. That's where all their "conversations" should take place: face to face.

After tossing the phone back onto his night table, Sasuke slipped out of bed, going into his side of the closet to grab his anbu outfit. If he got a mission early he might be able to avoid Naruto for the rest of the day; it would save him a long lecture of "Why-not-to-hang-up-on-an-Uzumaki" or some creative title like that. Once dressed, Sasuke styled his bangs out of his face so the loose pieces of hair hung on either side, framing his facial features with regality.

The raven made his way to the Hokage's Residence and up into Tsunade's office, his face grim. It took a bit of staring to tell whether or not Sasuke was in a bad mood—that is, unless you were Naruto or Sakura, who could tell in a heartbeat. And just like his wife, Sasuke was in a bad mood, and when Sasuke was in a bad mood, he liked to occupy his time with something productive. That's when he would go to work and do more missions than what was required of him. It rid his mind of the circumstances, making him focus only on the now: the now in the mission.

"Tsunade," he addressed the Hokage, who snapped her head up at him and glared. The lack of respect curled her lip every time.

"You're ready for your missions?" Sasuke nodded, giving no audible response. Before Tsunade could begin handing Sasuke the mission slips, Naruto barged into the room, clad in his anbu outfit.

"Now he's ready!" The blonde darted beside the raven, looking up at him with a slight scowl. Sasuke grunted, but inside he was ranting. He had _wanted _to be alone, but now he got something far worse than even the opposite of alone: he got Naruto. Tsunade rolled her eyes and gave Sasuke a mission slip.

"There's rogue ninja in the area. I want you to take them out. Understood—"

"Is that it?" He interrupted. That was the only mission?

"Excuse me?" The Hokage stared at him dangerously. Sasuke, unfazed, looked her straight in the eyes.

"Is that it?" He repeated, his tone more commanding. Naruto looked over at the raven, already telling that he was in a bad mood. He wanted as much work as possible, but what he needed was a few minutes to talk to someone about his problems—which was exactly what Naruto was trying to do for him.

"Yes. Now go, before they go back into hiding," Tsunade ordered, shooing the two anbu with her hand and returning to her paper work… or gambling. Whichever she was doing didn't really matter if she was sitting in her desk. Sasuke took it begrudgingly, wishing he had five mission slips instead of one. After a quick clenching of his jaw, the raven strode out of the office, Naruto following after him.

* * *

"Honestly, Neji, training should never be so intense that someone ends up in the hospital," Sakura warned her patient, shaking her head as she finished bandaging his arm. Neji nodded solemnly, his eyes focused on the wall opposite of him. "Besides, Tenten called the hospital—she sounded like she was a frantic mess…"

"She worries too much," Neji said thoughtfully, but there was a smile on his lips as he spoke. Sakura flinched, deciding not to make a comment. It seemed that everyone's relationships were just going better than hers, weren't they? Hinata and Naruto got married, Tenten and Neji were engaged, Ino and Shikamaru were dating—everything was going _perfect _with everyone but her and Sasuke. _What's so different? _She mused, chewing her bottom lip as she fought the tears coming on.

No, not now. She was at work. It was time to think about work—not Sasuke. She could think about Sasuke later—on her lunch break, when she would call him and tell him off about how he so _immaturely _told Naruto that they had been arguing. It should have been understood that they wouldn't tell anyone about that, but no, Sasuke just did whatever he wanted.

In fact, even if she had directly told him not to tell anyone, he more than likely still would have done it just to go against what she said. _That's just how he is. _She spat in her mind, finishing the final wrappings on Neji's arm. "There you go, all done. Be more careful next time—and don't use that arm until it's fully recovered." Neji nodded and slipped off the seat as he put his shirt back on.

"I'll be sure to tell Tenten I'm all right." Those words stabbed Sakura's heart. Neji would be sure to tell his girlfriend what was going on with him, but Sasuke wouldn't so much as tell his _wife _"hello" when he came home. Neji cared about Tenten. Sasuke didn't care about her… Did he? _It certainly doesn't feel like it… _she mused, sighing a quick breath of air out of her lungs.

Neji had already departed by the time she looked up. Returning to her office, Sakura looked at her clock, a frown curving her lips downward. Her eyelids shut as she thought back to their argument of the previous day:

_"Don't boss me around," he would say._

_"Then stop being such an idiot about everything!" Probably not the smartest thing that she ever retorted._

_"Are we going to start insulting now? Because that's when I know this is going nowhere," his response was in that cool, smooth tone that she hated when he used it for arguments._

_"Stop talking to me like I'm a child!"_

_"Then stop acting like one!" That was when he snapped. It always had to be that she was the child right? Was he really that bitter? It hurt, and it brought out her own bitterness that he was never supposed to hear:_

_"Why can't you be more like Naruto? He actually cares about Hinata…"_

Sakura sighed harshly, leaning her face in her hands. Sasuke wasn't supposed to hear that; it was supposed to stay in her heart, never to be heard by anyone. She knew what she said was wrong, which is why she didn't want to answer, but she knew that was a question that Sasuke wanted an answer to the most: why did she say that? What had compelled her to compare him to another man?

_That's right… _She mused bitterly, biting her bottom lip harshly, as she recalled their very first argument—the argument on the last day of their honeymoon. Sakura felt her heart rate quicken as her blood boiled in anger, shutting her eyes tightly to think of anything else but _that. _It was something both angering and depressing that it could fuse hot and cold tears to stain her cheeks. She didn't want that. She was at work.

Sakura twirled a pink strand of hair around her index finger, shaking her mind of thoughts that would cause her to be even more defocused on her work. The fact was that nothing was changing until _someone _gave in. There was no room for compromise—it was either her way, or Sasuke's way. That's how it always had been, and that's how it would always stay.

Only, she was sick of letting him get his selfish, impassive, uncaring way that benefitted no one but himself. It pleased him and him alone, but that was what that self-centered Uchiha cared about: himself. _I'm just some pawn to him that's not following his stupid game. _She stuck the thought into her mind, nurturing it and making the lie seem more and more true as she fed it with what she considered worthy facts. After all, if he did care, she would be able to hear an "I love you" every now and then from him, wouldn't she?

* * *

Sasuke descended on the man lithely, slitting his throat without a second thought, his eyes cold and impassive. The rogue ninja lay lifeless on the floor after a short grunt of his last breath. The raven removed himself from hovering over the man, kicking the dead body on the opposite side and beginning to strip him of money and documents fastened to his waist. "What're you doing, Sasuke?" Naruto questioned harshly, grabbing the man by his shoulders. The blonde wasn't enjoying the cold show Sasuke had been putting on for hours now: it was as if human life meant nothing.

"Taking them out," he repeated the Hokage's command mockingly, tearing a second money pouch from the rogue ninja's waist.

"Don't play stupid, baka!" Naruto yelled, punching the raven flat on his face. "You hang up on me, you march into grandma Tsunade's office demanding missions, and then you come out here killing like a robot! What's your problem? Meet reality and stop brooding and open your freakin' mouth!" He couldn't take it anymore. Sasuke being quiet: sure, that was fine, when it wasn't like _this_.

The merciless silence that the raven would attain when something was bothering him so much that the reality of a heartless killer seemed more appealing than the life of a Konoha ninja was unsettling. Naruto knew he wasn't really like that, and that this façade was based on anger, depression, confusion, and hurt. Four things that Sasuke would never explain, but he would have to try to pry them from the stoic's mouth. "What's my problem?" His voice was in a clear tone, even and yet having a slight shake that portrayed his anger in bone chilling resonances.

"That's what I asked!" Naruto played it off, jerking his head to the side as if he heard something. Sasuke's eyes veered towards that direction, feeling more comfortable speaking when he wasn't facing the other party of the conversation.

"I don't know," he mumbled simply, looking back down at the dead man as if trying to recall exactly _how _he had ended up dead. When had the skirmish occurred? When had he slit his throat? Did he say any last words? Naruto did know—the basic idea of it, anyways. He hadn't the slightest clue of the intricate details.

"You're thinking about Sakura, aren't you?" He mumbled, crouching beside his best friend and looking up into the onyx eyes; they were focused on the man, but blurred with fantasy rather than reality. He was lost in his thoughts, trying to recall how he got where he was. It was almost as if he was drunk on his anger, and now he was having a hangover, trying to remember missing facts. "What happened with you guys?" The words snapped the raven back into reality and he stood up to his feet, throwing the money back on the dead man's body, but keeping the documents clenched in his grasp.

"I don't think about her when I'm at work," he spat coldly, lying through his teeth as he rolled the paper and slipped it into a pack strapped on his back. Naruto watched him, anger twitching his eyes. The blonde didn't like being lied to, and he especially didn't like being lied to by his best friend of all people.

"Nothing will change if you avoid everything—come to work and ignore her existence, stay sleeping in the morning so you don't have to see her face, staying up late at night just to make her feel guilty—"

"You don't know _anything_," Sasuke's voice shook as he grabbed Naruto by his collar, tossing him onto a nearby tree loosely. "So shut your mouth and stay _out _of it," he ordered, clenching his teeth menacingly. Naruto did _not _understand, and like heck would he ever. No one would—not even his wife could understand, and she was supposed to.

"How do you think you're making her feel, huh?! Or did the genius not _think _that far yet?" Naruto's lip curled in anger as he clenched his fists at his sides. His aqua eyes stared at Sasuke's without hesitance or fear, just a clear boldness that proved he wasn't afraid of him. The best way to make Sasuke blow up and say how he really felt was mocking him. His answers would cease to be logical and he would finally portray emotion.

"Then maybe I'm not a freakin' genius!" He yelled back, threateningly raising his fist to Naruto, causing the blonde to flinch only slightly as they never lost eye contact. "And do you think I want it to be like this? We're both miserable not just her! But guess what? You don't know one freakin' d!#$ thing so shut-your-mouth!" He ordered once more, not finding it within himself to punch the blonde directly. He landed his fist right beside the other's face, the bark of the tree cracking in response.

Naruto stared at him, swallowing a growing lump in his throat. He slowly raised his fist and past it right by the face of the raven, earning him a confused glare. "That's what it feels like, to have your best friend's fist this close to your face." The blonde said seriously, pinching his lips together. They were fighting—attacking each other with words and actions; had it registered into Sasuke's mind?

Sasuke clenched his teeth, lowering his fist and stepping away from Naruto. He ran his fingers through his charcoal mess of hair and breathed out a harsh sigh from his lungs. Right now, it wasn't the time to continue arguing. He needed to calm down before he seriously lost his mind.

* * *

Sakura never found it within herself to call Sasuke during her lunch break. She didn't want to get into an argument over the phone, which she was sure that argument would last more than an hour, and be thinking over it for the rest of her time at work. That was just asking for her to mess up with some patient that she would be dealing with.

Her strides homeward were weak and weary. She was exhausted over the long day at the hospital, and her head was throbbing with a majority of thoughts. A groan eased from her lips as she imagined her home, full of stress and arguments. Peace did not exist in this world, she concluded.

By the time she arrived in their home, it seemed as if Sasuke had come before her. _Good, so I don't have to wait for him, _she mused, tossing her keys in a basket after locking the house door. Sakura jogged up the stairs to find her husband reading silently at the desk, massaging his temples with his index finger and his thumb. Sakura cleared her throat to gain his attention, but he didn't so much as turn her way. "Excuse me," she said in a sweet voice, clearly underlined with sarcasm. Sasuke spared her a glance, giving her a "what" expression. Sakura stared at him: he would talk before she would continue.

Sasuke stared back at her, his eyes dull. He wasn't in the mood for this game. She got his attention, and "excuse me" wasn't a question when you said it like that. So if she wanted to talk so much, then she should have enough decency to finish her thought. Sakura pinched her lips together at his actions. It was as if he had forgotten he could speak English and constantly had to "resort" to looks and body language, which she absolutely abhorred.

The staring continued, never wavering, until anger began to boil in both of their minds. They both wanted to other to speak first, and they both didn't want to give in. No, rather, they both thought they shouldn't _have _to give in, because they had given in enough in previous circumstances. So there they stared, nothing getting accomplished.

The phone rang and broke their silence, Sakura breaking eye contact to glance at the landline on Sasuke's desk. He too, stared at it as if it were some foreign object. "Are you going to answer it, or is it too advanced for you, cave man?" Sakura mocked, referring back to how he never spoke. Sasuke clenched his teeth together, sending a harsh glare in her direction.

"I don't know what's so 'cave man' about waiting for you to finish your sentence," he retorted, refocusing his eyes to look into hers. Their staring began once again as they ignored the phone ringing in their ears; that is, until the answering machine got it: _"Sasuke, it's Tsunade—you're Hokage? Yeah, I know you know the number and if you don't—" _Sasuke reached over reluctantly and answered.

"I'm busy, what do you want?" He snapped into the mouth piece. Sakura's eyes widened at his rude behavior towards her former teacher and both their leader. She crossed her arms over her chest, her lip curling in anger. _He has no consideration for anyone! _She fumed. When Sasuke hung up the phone without so much as a "good bye", the pinkette threw her hands up in a rage.

"You self-centered, egoistic, impassive jerk! Are you serious?!" Sasuke hated when she spat her "list" at him. A quick "tch" grunted from his lips. He wasn't in the mood to sit there and be insulted while giving her his attention, so he turned back to his book, engrossing himself in it. Sakura gawked at him in disbelief, but retaliated by snatching the book from the desk and tossing it elsewhere, not caring where it landed. "I _asked _you a question!"

Sasuke stared at her, his eyes dancing in flames of a growing infuriation. Did she _really _just have the nerve to grab the book that he was clearly reading and throw it off to the side? He clenched his fist, resisting the want to slam his fist on the desk. "It sounded rhetorical," he snapped through his teeth, his eyes never wavering.

"Well how about this then?" Sakura changed the subject, returning to her original goal: "Why did you tell Naruto that we were arguing? That's absolutely _none _of his business."

"You think I don't know that?" He practically cut her off as he snapped an answer at her. "I told him because he was acting as if he could understand, if you _must _know," he added sarcastically, a glint of annoyance hanging in his onyx orbs.

"I thought I told you to stop treating me like a child," she seethed through clenched teeth.

"That's funny, because I told you to stop acting like one, and yet here we are," the placidity in his voice wasn't making anything better. Sakura already had a short fuse after dealing with work.

"Don't talk to me like that, _please_," the please was only added to appease his ego. Sakura tapped her index finger on her arm and stared at him impatiently. They always tended to veer away from the real subject when they started arguing. "Can you just keep everything that happens here: here? Is that really too much to ask?" She lifted her arms in a gesture of frustration, her voice shaking as she tried to control her anger.

"As if _things _happen here," Sasuke gave her a look so that she knew exactly what he was talking about. Sakura flinched a bit, but only to meet his eyes once again in a raging battle of dancing fire.

"Are you still bitter about that?" She spat, crossing her arms once again.

"It's not bitterness; you're being unrealistic," he snapped, not liking her tone one bit. He continued before she could cut him off. "You're my freakin' wife—there's nothing 'obscene' about sex."

"With the way you do it? Oh yes, it's obscene," she nodded her head with a tight smile, allowing him to soak in the rage she was portraying with sarcasm. "And you know what 'things' _I _was talking about, Sasuke Uchiha," she called him by his full name, her face returning to its serious state.

"We don't always have to talk about what you want to talk about," he grumbled, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I could say the same to you," she barely waited for him to finish, already knowing what he was going to say. He was being antagonistic—as if he wanted this argument to drag out longer than it really had to. It was either that, or he really was just in a venting mood.

Sasuke chose not to answer her. Yes, he did want to talk about the things that he wanted to talk about—because the things _he _wanted to talk about would actually accomplish more than a petty argument like the things _she _wanted to talk about. It was almost as if she enjoyed coming home to this misery, and Sasuke hated it. He hated coming home expecting another argument. He hated coming home seeing her smile while she was outside completely disappear.

He pinched his lips together, standing up from the desk and grabbing his cell phone. "Where are you going?" Sakura asked him, stepping in front of the doorway. Sasuke just looked at her.

"Out," he said simply.

"Running away?" She reworded his one word sentence with a tinge of subdued annoyance lingering in her voice. He clenched his jaw.

"A walk."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she squinted her eyes sardonically. "I should have guessed you wanted to go talk to Naruto better," she stepped out of his way begrudgingly and strode to the bed, plopping inside in and resting her head on the pillows.

"Shut it," he ordered before he stepped out, purposely slamming the door behind him before he left. Sometimes, he just hated how she knew him so well, but he did indeed leave to call Naruto. As much as he didn't want to speak with that Dobe again after what happened on their mission, he couldn't stand another minute in the same room as his wife. Oh, the irony.

Sakura lay in bed with a distasteful frown on her lips. Her eyes shut tightly as her mind recapped their argument. She fought the tears filling up her eyes, not wanting to cry for the same man who had exposed private details of their marriage to someone else, but she couldn't help but see it the way it was: her husband was so upset with her he didn't even want to see her face, and there was nothing she could do about it.

The night grew dark, and Sasuke didn't return until his wife was already sleeping soundly, tears still staining her pale cheeks.

OooO

**Gah... They are so depressing... If I'm ruining anyone's day, gomen'nasai. :s Oh, and someone mentioned something about a chapter to explain the argument that started all this- that will be coming in the future. Maybe the next chapter, I don't know I'm not sure yet.. :o But! Lol don't worry I won't leave that little fact dangling. Arigatogozaimasu for all your support. And don't forget to R&R!**

**InaGaTa**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Nope. It's a fanfic site

GAH…. okay, explanation for my tardiness: COMPUTER CRASH. That's all I need to say. Updates will be slow… I think we're getting a new computer, thank goodness… But not until another week I think. I once again apologize—I also had to rewrite this five times, so enjoy what I came up with.

:insert line here:

The events played through his mind over and over again, becoming more and more intense, leading him into a deeper understanding. His comrade—Sasuke Uchiha—was blank from the world. He transformed himself from a genius ninja, thinking before every action into a mindless pawn taking his mind away from his problems with violence.

Naruto chewed on a toothpick which was fitted between his lips, something like a cigarette—only he would never smoke. A long breath eased out his nostrils and he closed his aqua eyes, trying to piece the puzzle in his mind together. _They've been arguing for three months… they've been married for three months… _he mused, reopening his eyes and staring at the ceiling with interest—not sure why it had suddenly become so intriguing.

Flicking the toothpick out from his mouth, the blonde sat up on the couch, resting his cheek in his palm. _That means they must have argued on their honeymoon… _he affirmed in his mind, straining to think of at least one thing that could have started a major argument between the two. Something so… disturbing perhaps that they wouldn't want to repeat it—because it was so touchy a subject. _Sakura's the touchy one—maybe Sasuke's just suffering with the aftermath? _He guessed, though it didn't sound quite right to him even in his head.

Guiding his mind back into their mission, Naruto tapped his index finger on his cheek. Sasuke had ran off on his own, although they were working on their mission simultaneously—supposedly, they were a team, but Sasuke wasn't being quite the team player. _Not that I could expect too much, _Naruto thought, _After all, I did go even though he obviously wanted to be alone—but that's the problem! _He threw his arms in the air as if he was ranting aloud, portraying his clear frustration.

Not only had the Uchiha run off, but he had found their target and had already begun to chase. _All without my knowledge! _Naruto couldn't help but add it in. There was something different in his eyes, however. The raven did use his sharingan excessively—sometimes he would just activate it to let you know that he was upset. It became so habitual that he and Sakura had tried to break him out of it, but to no avail: it was instinct now. Even so, that wasn't the same sharingan, per se.

Sasuke had such an intense hostility in his eyes, and yet such a calm placidity in his face that the mere contrast was unsettling. His lips were shut in a perfect line, never to open and speak. His eyes were focused on one thing and one thing alone: his target. The rogue ninja wasn't allowed a moment of thought before the raven slit his throat, ending his life. He was cold—colder than he had been in years.

_What's going on with you, Sasuke? _Naruto frowned harshly, running his fingers through his blonde mop of hair. It didn't make sense. What was going on? How did Sakura feel about her own husband not thinking about her while he was at work—his job being to _protect _Konoha—namely his wife! _I don't understand how he can ignore her existence with a job like this! _The blonde sighed, placing the toothpick back in his mouth.

If they had argued at their honeymoon, it would have been on the very last day, because they came back with stories of the great time they had. _But they never did talk about the very last day… _Naruto noted, clenching his jaw as he looked down to the floor. This wasn't a one way argument—it couldn't be. It couldn't be that one person was struggling with the aftermath of a stupid comment: that would be worked out by now. This was more like something that they didn't even want to speak about already because they were both so… _Freakin' stubborn! _Naruto sighed in frustration, slamming his body back down on the couch.

"This is too confusing!" He whined aloud, slapping his hands onto his throbbing head. Thinking this hard on an empty stomach wasn't exactly Naruto's idea of a dream evening, but he needed to think about it sometime now that their mission was over with. Just as the Uzumaki was about to look to the clock, he heard the door unlock and a wide grin spread on his lips. "Is that my beautiful darling?" He sprang to his feet to meet his wife at the door.

"Hi, Naruto," Hinata greeted with a shy smile, pecking the man on his already puckered lips. He took her into an affectionate embrace, closing the door behind her as he led her to the couch. "You look perturbed," the young woman noted, a slight frown tainting her porcelain features. Naruto stroked her cheek gently to be rid of the frown before he spoke:

"I'm just worried about Sasuke… and Sakura, of course," he finished, giving her his own quirky form of a frown. Hinata placed her delicate hand over his stronger one, her lavender orbs gleaming as she looked into his aqua ones.

"I'm worried too…" she agreed, a feminine sigh easing from her lips. "Three months is a long time for an ongoing argument… how was working with him?"

"I almost didn't!" Naruto shook his head disbelievingly. "He hung up on me and tried to get a mission before I knew what was going on!" Hinata couldn't help but giggle at her animated husband. "But when we were on our mission, he was so… cold, distant—I mean, yeah that's Sasuke—but this was different."

"Do you think that's how he treats Sakura…?" Hinata asked gently in a hushed whisper, as if the spoken couple was in the next room over.

"I certainly hope not," Naruto squinted one eye, thinking back to how Sasuke descended menacingly on the rogue ninja expertly before slitting his throat. The blonde stood to his feet, stretching out his arms comfortably until he heard his elbows crack in satisfactory pops. "I'm hungry!" He whined an obvious hint, glancing down at his wife with a wide grin.

"Should I make dinner?" Hinata pretended to be clueless, tapping a finger on her lips in makeshift thought.

"Make ramen!" Naruto's aqua eyes sparkled with hope. Hinata frowned disapprovingly.

"Naruto… we've already talked about your eating habits…" the woman warned, her lavender eyes glowing with endearment. Naruto groaned, lowering himself back on the couch.

"But Hinataaaaa…" he whined, frowning with a pout. Hinata shook her head, but then thought a moment, deciding on a compromise.

"If you eat chicken soup today, I'll make an apple pie for you for dessert," she offered, a giggle playing in her voice when her husband's face transformed in excitement. If there was one thing he loved—maybe even as much as ramen—was Hinata's pies.

"With ice cream too?" His eyes danced with mischief as he tested the waters.

"If you eat salad too," Hinata countered, fully giggling. Naruto grinned taking her into a hug.

"Deal!" He cheered, planting a flurry of affectionate kisses on her dark, silky tresses.

:insert line here:

Her emerald eyes fluttered open as she reached an awakening in the early morning. Sakura's mind took her back to the events of the night: when her husband walked out on _her _in the middle of their argument. _It's been a while since he's done that… _she mused, recalling just how painful it could be to know that your spouse didn't want to see your face because they were so livid. She breathed out a large sigh from her nostrils, folding her hands over her chest.

Turning her head, she looked over to her sleeping husband; his peaceful demeanor let her know that he must've been having a dream—either that, or he had gotten over their argument of the previous night. _All he ever thinks about is sex; I'm sure… _she spat, jerking her eyes away from his placidity. Why did he have to make everything so difficult? It was his selfishness that was causing all of their tension: Sakura was sure of it.

Sure, she might've overreacted with some things they argue about _now_, but right then—on that last day of their honeymoon: that was all Sasuke reverting back to his selfish and impassive behavior. The things he wanted were things that just could _not _happen—Sakura wouldn't allow it. Not in her house, and not in their children's houses—it just would not happen.

The pinkette slipped out of bed carefully, attempting to leave her husband in his slumber; but that never worked out. Unfortunately for Sasuke, he was both a light sleeper and a grumpy riser. "Stop moving the bed…" he ordered in a mumble, trying to go back to sleep. How did he fall asleep in this position? It was way too uncomfortable.

"Just go to sleep…" Sakura mumbled back, not in the mood to deal with his attitude. After a quick roll of her eyes, she began to dress so that she could go to the hospital. She heard Sasuke grumble something under his breath and she quickly turned to face him. "What was that?"

"I didn't say anything…" he spat, the defensive underlining in his voice coming obviously from his half asleep state. Sakura, however, wasn't falling for it.

"Don't lie to me," she bossed, her voice raising only a bit in frustration.

"Just go to work," he ordered, shoving the pillow over his head as if to block out both her voice and her existence from his mind. Sakura clenched her jaw, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot impatiently at his actions. Did he really just block her out—block his _wife _out? Striding over, the pinkette stole away the pillow from the raven and threw it to the other side of the bed. Sasuke growled lowly in aggravated annoyance, throwing his head back in frustration. "Not now…" he groaned, just as sick of the situation as his wife, only he was willing to brush it aside; she wasn't quite there.

"Don't 'not now' me! You started this!" She pointed her index finger at him judgmentally, her voice rose in her anger.

"You start a lot of your 'points' with 'don'ts'," he noted, his onyx orbs peering at her. She knew what he was getting at: it was a subtle way of him telling her not to boss him around; only, she really didn't feel like listening. He had lied to her and she wanted a truthful answer: was that really too much to ask for from the egoistic raven?

"And you talk to everyone like they're two," she countered, a tight smile following her statement.

"Only when they _act _like they're two," he retorted, propping himself up and glaring into her eyes.

"Are we really going to start with the whole 'you're a child' thing again?" She asked with pure sarcasm saturating her voice. That tone caused Sasuke's hand to clench, his knuckles turning white.

"Don't talk to me like that," he ordered.

"Oh, look who's starting their sentences with 'don'ts' now!" Sakura pointed out, pulling back away from him and continuing to get ready for work. It was as if they couldn't accomplish anything. They would argue, which would lead to more arguments and then some—all that eventually don't even relate to the original topic. Every time they spoke it was like a long rabbit trail of insults and orders.

"Am I supposed to apologize now?" He asked with an equal amount of sarcasm in his voice. Sakura's face flushed red as seething rage overtook her demeanor. Snapping her head towards him, she glared harshly, and with a raised voice yelled:

"JUST SHUT UP!" And with that she was gone, slamming her hand on the desk and taking her keys as she stomped towards the hospital.

:insert line here:

The hospital was busy: a squad from the anbu had just finished their mission and many had returned to Konoha with life threatening wounds—most of them beginning to get infected. Sakura bustled around the hospital, not truly having time to think, but she couldn't help but have those thoughts enter her mind. She would never regret it at the moment, but the aftermath of her and Sasuke's arguments hit her hard. She needed to cry, but she hadn't the time.

Her hands laid directly above an open gash on an anbu's back, blood stains dry and decorating his skin. A healthy green chakra emanated from the pinkette's experienced hands as she used healing jutsu to aid the recovery from the wound. This is when she could think—when time was frozen around her. Working at a hospital where you would constantly see anbu be rushed in near death was difficult to say the least—especially when you knew your _husband _was one of these anbu.

_What if one day it was him who came in near death…? _She mused, tears pouring down her glossy emerald orbs. He would be near death—they would have argued that morning, departing from each other without so much as an "I love you". And there the raven would be, lying on a hospital bed, breathing his last breaths as his heart beat softened until it was no more.

They would have never made amends. The arguments would have never ceased. The anger would have never subsided—he would die without forgiveness and without apologizing. The tension would remain for a literal eternity. Sakura couldn't control the sobs that tore out from her. That wasn't what she wanted: she didn't want to stay with this terrible connection she and Sasuke had obtained. She _wanted _things to be fixed, but it seemed near impossible.

The very thought of Sasuke dying without him ever knowing that she didn't want things to be this way stabbed at her heart, but how could she tell him? How could she possibly tell him that she didn't want things to be the way they were when whenever they would speak to one another an argument would arise? Shaking her head, the pinkette attempted to control the gentle tremor of her body from her sobbing.

"Hey, Doc! Do you need some help?" Ino spoke casually, prancing into the room after a tap on the door. Sakura wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her shoulder and turned to face her blonde friend.

"Hey, Ino; aren't you working with the others?" Sakura inquired, tipping her head to the side in confusion. She was hoping if she acted natural it would ward off the redness of her cheeks from her fit of tears. The blonde shook her head good naturedly, lifting her index finger as she spoke:

"'They are in my well trained hands!' As Shizune had put it," she quoted with a wink, "I dealt with the female anbu in the squad so I figured I would help you," she lowered her voice before continuing, "After all, you know how Shizune hates people doing her job for her…" a giggle and a quick wink followed her statement.

Sakura smiled weakly at Ino, returning her attention to the unconscious male lying in the bed. A sigh eased out from between her lips as she stared into an abyss of nothingness. The blonde kunoichi tipped her head to the side. "Hey, Sakura, what's wrong? You look so… emo," Ino scrunched her nose when she said the word. "Emo" and "Sakura" just weren't two words in the same sentence, and yet her demeanor could only be described as such.

Emerald orbs snapped over to aqua ones, giving the blonde her attention. "Um, yeah…" she responded disbelievingly, knowing that she was lying through her teeth. Ino knew she was lying as well and she raised her eyebrow at Sakura, prying for a different answer. The pinkette breathed out a harsh sigh of defeat, looking away from the judgmental waves of blue that were obstructing the emerald gloss of her own eyes. "It's just me and Sasuke…" Sakura spoke bitterly, figuring that if _he _could talk about it to Naruto, she had every right to speak about it to Ino.

"You're just figuring out that he's all that I said he was, huh?" Ino asked, a tinge of a smug know-it-all playing in her voice. Gracefully, the blonde descended into a backless seat and scooted it closer to Sakura so that she could continue the story while she was comfortable. Sakura nodded silently, breathing in sharply.

"He's—we're…"

"No, no, no, you had it right the first time," Ino shook her index finger, "What did _he _do?" Sakura looked over to Ino, a smile curving on her lips. There was someone that would side with her—someone who knew that Sasuke was egocentric and impassive.

"It's like he doesn't even love me… he never says he does—and he always pushes arguments away and never wants to finish them! Sometimes he'll just come up to me and say 'that's enough for one day'. I mean, yeah, I don't want to argue, but if we don't finish it'll just come up again…"

"He's being immature!" Ino gawked, crossing her arms over her chest. "See, what he's doing is he's trying to make it look like he's being 'sweet', but really he's just trying to control you," the blonde noted as if she had experience. Sakura's mouth opened in an interested parting. She leaned in towards the blonde, her pink brow rising.

"'Control'?" That was something she could imagine the raven trying to do. Sakura leaned her face in her palms and made herself more comfortable in preparation to hear Ino's words: Ino's poisonous, interfering words.

:insert line here:

His alarm went off and resonated across the walls. The raven groaned, slapping his hand over the alarm clock to ease his sleep sensitive ears from the annoying ring. Sitting up, Sasuke ran his fingers through his messy mop of charcoal hair. _"Just shut up!" What a way to leave… _he frowned, unable to end the repeating words in his mind—the words she said with such anger that he couldn't help but know she meant every bit of them.

It was just something he couldn't take anymore. Every day, it was another argument—everyday, more insults and orders. Every day nothing—_nothing _—changed. Sasuke breathed out harshly, his hands landing with pats on the mattress. What was he supposed to do? She was gone again. Apologizing wasn't good enough—a simple "I'm sorry" wouldn't fix anything.

His onyx eyes veered over to his night table, where his coal black phone stood. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke snatched his phone before he could change his mind, dialing Naruto's number. He waited impatiently, tapping his finger on the mattress as he continued to get the monotone beep that proved to him no one had yet made it to the phone. _Pick up your phone, Dobe… _He ordered in his mind, breathing out harshly through his nostrils.

Finally, after what had felt like a good five minutes to Sasuke, but was truly only a few seconds, Naruto picked up his cell phone. "Isn't it a little early for you, Sasuke?" The blonde yawned into the phone. The raven could tell the call probably woke up the lazy bum.

"Listen, I need to talk to you…" he mumbled, neglecting what Naruto had said. He heard a huff; Naruto must have wanted an answer after all, but right now wasn't the time for that: he needed to stay focused—to stay on track. After hearing the dobe mumble something incoherent, Sasuke continued, taking it as a "what" statement. "I need your help," he sighed through gritted teeth, the words being forced from his mouth.

There was a dead silence and Sasuke began to tap his finger on the mattress once again. "Are you going to say anything?" He snapped, still grumpy from the early morning.

"Oh you're done?" Naruto yawned lazily, and breathed in before continuing. "Sure, I'll help you, what's up?" He said casually, his voice muffled as if he had slammed his head back onto a pillow. The raven rolled his eyes.

"Would you focus? This is serious," he retorted to the blonde's actions, but was only answered with a casual "yeah, yeah". "Listen to me!" He ordered. "If I don't get help now, Sakura and I are going to get divorced—and I'm an idiot if I won't admit that much! We can't even have a normal conversation—ever—it's always an argument, so if you would just listen to me—"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Sasuke," Naruto spoke through the phone, catching his breath from being completely woken up by the raven's outburst. "Start from the beginning: what happened?" Sasuke breathed in sharply, calming himself before talking to Naruto.

"Which beginning: today or… when it all started?" He mumbled, obviously finding the latter question far more distasteful than the preceding one. He knew what Naruto would say: it was why he was hesitant to call him in the first place, but this is what he needed. As much as he didn't like it, Sasuke knew he needed help on this one—and if he truly loved his wife, he would have to swallow his pride and ask for help from Naruto of all people, who had been married longer than he had.

"When it all started, Sasuke. I need to hear the whole thing," Naruto actually managed to keep his voice serious, which the raven appreciated. Taking a deep breath, Sasuke began his explanation…

:insert line here:

Naruto fisted his blonde hair in one hand while his other held the phone. His cerulean eyes were shot open as he focused on the story being told in his ears. _"It was the last day—I mean, should I really be thankful for that? She should've known that's what I meant all these years!" _Sasuke ranted on the other line, clearly losing his temper. "Sasuke, not even I knew that's what you meant!" Naruto noted, sighing in confusion. "Okay… start over…"

_"I have to explain it again?!" _The voice came through in aggravated irritation.

"Do you want my help or not?!" Naruto threatened, already on edge. He had to make sure he heard Sasuke right, or else he might just understand why exactly Sakura was having an issue, which eventually may have rubbed off on Sasuke, in turn creating their mess.

_"On the last night of our honeymoon, we were talking about kids." _He paused; Naruto "uh huh"ed to let him know he was listening. _"And, everyone knows I want to restore my clan—I've always said that. Sakura knew that, you knew that—everyone knew and knows that."_

"Go on," Naruto pried, not wanting him to stay ranting on one subject for two long; he wanted to remember the story, not Sasuke's anger. He heard his best friend take a deep breath before he continued on, once again calming his nerves.

_"Restoring the Uchiha clan means keeping Uchiha blood in the mix; so, it only makes sense that the Uchiha have to marry the Uchiha. That's how it always has been. Then our kids will have kids, and they'll marry their cousins and so on, until the clan is restored. See?" _Sasuke spoke simply on the other line as if absolutely nothing was wrong with his logic. Naruto wanted to yell at him about how that was incest and more than likely illegal, but he held his tongue: realizing that Sakura had probably done a good enough job yelling at him. It is why they were arguing.

_"So," _he continued, _"I told her that, and she freaked out. We went back and forth for a little bit—and then I told her that this was my life purpose, because it is: my purpose is to restore my clan. And then, she started insulting my clan—and saying that that wasn't a life purpose, it was destroying the future of our children. Okay, I'm not being selfish! I'm trying to restore what the 'oh so great' Third Hokage stripped from my family! Is that so wrong?! _

_ "While you were all bowing to that old murderer's feet, he was sending my brother out to annihilate my clan! When I told her I was glad that that stupid man was dead, things started escalating, and soon we were both yelling at each other. Her saying that I was disrespecting her teacher's sensei—me saying that she would never understand my point of view—it felt as if we were back to square one: twelve year olds arguing over everything. Except, these things were substantial._

_ "Honestly, I hadn't realized how little… we had communicated—half the things she yells at me still surprise me. I think she's more bitter than I could imagine. She loves our unborn children more than me, that's why she's not letting us have them. We can't agree, and that anger remains and we argue about anything and everything to avoid the topic… That's how I take it." _Sasuke concluded, sounding depressed, but masking it over with a false confidence he held in his voice.

Naruto swallowed hard, squeezing his eyes shut to find the right words to encourage his best friend. He could understand Sasuke's point of view: he had lived his entire life swearing revenge and striving for nothing more than to restore his clan. And yet, he could also understand Sakura's point of view: their children would have their own lives—not to mention the idea of them marrying each other was illegal enough. To actually make them do it was a different story. _I guess I would have to figure out if it's really illegal… _Naruto mused, but then quickly shook his head. _No focus! Sasuke! _

"Sasuke," the blonde began, a long eased sigh breaking from between his lips. "You and I have a lot to talk about if you want to keep this relationship going… Dost thou promiseth patient-eth…? Or whatever?" He heard Sasuke sigh in relief, a short chuckle following after.

_"I swear my cooperation, but not my patient."_

OooO

**Sorry if it seemed slow at some points. I lost inspiration halfway through, hence the rewriting it five times. I'm sort of proud of this chapter, but I hope you all liked it anyways, despite my late… late update. But I'm alive, so we can all cheer about that. :] Maybe, keheh. Arigatogozaimasu for your support. Don't forget to R&R!**

**InaGaTa**


End file.
